But some little ones make their debut faster than others, as Colleen Hathaway and Joseph Detrani found out when, just 20 minutes after her first contraction, Ms. Hathaway gave birth in the the bedroom of their home on Braley Hill Road.

"When I got out of the shower, my water broke. The next thing I knew I was getting contractions a minute apart. Joe called 911 and said, 'My girlfriend is having a baby," Ms. Hathaway said of the night of Aug. 13.

"It was a textbook birth," said Capt. Gene Rymszewicz, a paramedic with the Freetown Fire Department.

"The baby came out perfect, face down, and pinked up right away."

Freetown personnel were called in through a mutual aid agreement because of their advanced life support training.

According to Rochester EMT Kevin Richard, members of the department dropped everything to respond.

"Five of us were at a baseball game that evening. I was picking up a pizza after the game when I got the call. I don't think she (Ms. Hathaway) noticed that we were in sports uniforms and that basically a baseball team showed up to deliver her baby," said the EMT who, at the time, was serving in his capacity as vice president of the Freetown Youth Athletic Association.

Rochester paramedic Debi Ladd was in her nightgown and on her way to bed, but quickly got dressed and rushed out the door when she heard what was happening.

"I'm another woman and wanted to be there for (Ms. Hathaway). ... Paramedics do things other people can't even imagine. It can be pretty horrible, and with every call you take a piece of it with you. But a baby being born is the most joyful part of the job. I was beaming all day long the next day," Ms. Ladd said.

A tense moment, rescue personnel said, was when it was discovered that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck, a situation quickly corrected by Capt. Rymszewicz.

There also was the issue of Ms. Hathaway's two older children, Dylan, 5, and Austin, 20 months, being in the house at the time of the birth.

"My 5-year-old was traumatized that night. He had a traumatic experience in January when my grandmother had a stroke while playing with him. The ambulance came and took her, but she never came back. She passed away. So when the ambulance came for me, he was terrified," Ms. Hathaway said, adding that she was grateful to see rescue personnel taking the time to calm her son.

"Sometimes we have to treat the family, too. It's part of the job," Ms. Ladd said.

The blended family also has two other children, Hunter, 10, and Anthony, 4, from Mr. Detrani's previous relationship.

According to responders, little Madison Nicole was the first home birth Rochester has had in 25 years.